LGBTQ Travel in Costa Rica

Gay Friendly Costa Rica – LGBTQ Resources, Tips & Travel Advice for the LGBTI Community

It is an unfortunate fact that our friends in the LGBTQ community must be vigilant and mindful of their surroundings at all times. Sadly this has become even truer in the last few years. It’s not only true in the United States, it’s true in many places around the world. Costa Rica is no different.

Yes, evolution is happening. Yes, there are many places throughout Costa Rica where the LGBTQ community can openly express themseleves. And yes, there are some places you can’t.

Here’s the deal, straight from the Real Deal:

As a travel company we are an open resource for LGBTQ travelers to go for information and advice. We work to provide you with vetted resources so you can feel safe and comfortable wherever your travels take you.

Our hope is that you can use this information to put together a fun dream vacation, and that it will be one of the best travel experiences of your life.

Costa Rica 2018 – Evolution over Tradition

According to the latest reports, LGBTQ travelers make up over 10% of all foreigners visiting Costa Rica.  With that kind of pull, it is no wonder the National Tourism Chamber (Canatur) is seeking to attract more LGBTI visitors and ensure that they know that Costa Rica is a safe destination for everyone.  

“The LGBTI tourism in Costa Rica represents 10% of all visitors, but it’s not just about the importance of LGBTI tourism, but also the inclusion of this population in our society and the respect for human rights”, Sary Valverde, President Canatur

In a conservative country such as Costa Rica, this does not come without its share of challenges.  

Unfortunately, the 2018 election also was an unexpected platform for anti-LGBT rhetoric in Costa Rica.  We witnessed the kind of divisiveness that  the ridiculously harmful rhetoric of Donald Trump has inflicted upon the US. Costa Rica’s 2018 presidential election mirrored that divisiveness to a lesser extent on the issue of gay marriage.  This is something that Costa Rica’s department of tourism hopes to erase from its near past.

Thankfully, Costa Rica seems to have chosen a path to evolution over tradition with its decisive vote of 60% in favor of Carlos Alvarado over his extremely conservative counterpart Fabricio Alvarado.  The deciding factor? Upholding the January decision by the Inter-American Human Rights Court ruling that gay marriages should be recognized by all nations of the American Convention on Human Rights.  Carlos Alvarado was just sworn in Sunday as the 48th president of Costa Rica providing hope for a more inclusive future. 

LGBTQ & Costa Rican Culture of Tradition

When visiting a foreign country, it is important to understand and respect the culture and traditional values of that country.  You are a guest in their home after all. 

It’s no secret that Costa Rica is full of smiling faces and friendly people.  In fact, Costa Rica has maintained its position as one of the happiest places in the world for the past 7 years.  Anywhere you go, you’re likely to find someone wonderful. Those friendly smiles are genuine. But you should know that you might come as a surprise to them, just by being you.

It seems like now is a great time to mention that most Costa Rican people identify themselves as Catholic. Approximately 50% consider themselves a “practicing Roman Catholic”, with another 20% identifying as Catholic, but “not practicing”.

We don’t need to read too much into what that means, but you’d do well to understand that while they are an open and welcoming people, their traditions and values are definitely on the “conservative” side of the spectrum.  

However, when visiting someone’s home, respecting their values and traditions without judgment is the right thing to do.  That is the same in any country, regardless of how evolved they are in your own opinion.  

Costa Rica’s LGBT Friendly Destinations

As an LGBTQ traveler you might already be aware that within many countries there are often pockets of very liberal views, and Costa Rica is no exception.  Below is a short list of the destinations that have established themselves as LGBTQ friendly.  That said however, don’t count out some of the more remote destinations that allow you to express yourselves freely under the cover of the densely lush rainforest.

Manuel Antonio – A National Park located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio is an absolute gem. Lush, green jungles as far as the eye can see, white sand beaches that are to-die-for, and intricately beautiful coral reefs for snorkeling the afternoon away. If you’re a bit of a nature buff, you’ve got to check out Manuel Antonio.  Manuel Antonio is the most gay-friendly destination in Costa Rica.

Our fave Manuel Antonio LGBTI friendly resort pick for you is Villa Roca 

San Jose – The capital city of Costa Rica is a great place to go for all the city things: museums, parks, walking tours, food, clubs. And just like any other city, it’s a great idea to be aware of your surroundings no matter who you are. But with that said, just like any other city, San Jose is alive with the colors, sounds, smells, and personalities of like-minded folks with a story to tell, just like you.

For an inclusive experience in the bustling city of San Jose, check out Colours Oasis

Jaco – Ever the Club Kid in the family, Jaco has long been known as an “anything goes” kind of place. If you like things a little more rough and tumble, this sexy little beach town has just enough grit to keep things interesting. Just be sure to keep an eye on your stuff!

If clothing optional peaks your interest, check out Copacabana Desire Hotel in Jaco.

Punta Islita, Tamarindo, Langosta – There are so many other great places too! This blog has more ideas for fun, friendly towns to visit and properties to stay at.

Confidential to the Chicas Looking To Travel To Costa Rica

We suspect you already see it in most places you travel and perhaps even in your own home town, but LGBTQ friendly tends to be more focused on activities for men as opposed to women.  Sure, “gay friendly” is great and that can give you some sense of freedom and security, but in most cases the men are represented in a way that the women are not.

We see you. Others do too.

Evolution takes time amigas, but we’re getting there.

In the meantime, we found a travel site specializing in LGBTQ travel from a women’s perspective! We love that they are focused on giving women travelers a resource and a voice.

The Real Deal Tours Commitment to LGBTQ Travelers

As you hopefully know by now, we’re here for you. The Real Deal Tours was created for everyone, regardless of their background, their beliefs, or their preferences. The only preference that we require you to have is the passion to have a really great time!

And that’s our job at The Real Deal Tours to help you have a really great time!

At Costa Rica Tours  we’ve got lovely tour guides and some really fun activities for you to try. While a lot of Costa Rica is LGBTQ friendly, there are not a lot of activities available yet that are tailored specifically for this community. We mention this because we cannot control the level of acceptance you might experience from the rest of the people on the public tours we offer.

We’re guessing you already know this, and that you’ve been dealing with it your whole life. But it’s worth mentioning.

But with that said, we can help you tailor almost any activity to meet your needs! It’s easy to make many public tours private, or to reserve a large booking for you and all your friends so that everyone on the tour is a friendly face. There are a few things we can do, so let us try and help you create your perfect experience and memories to last a lifetime!

Costa Rica LGBTQ Resources 

Here is a list of resources we’ve compiled for you. Some articles, websites, and perspectives to help you get a feel for the “lay of the land” in Costa Rica. Also gay travel websites, a few videos, and some other things you might find interesting.

Costa Rica Star does a great job following up on all the latest news regarding the LGBTI community in Costa Rica.  It is a great resource to follow Costa Rica’s evolution into becoming a much more LGBTI inclusive tour destination. 

Gaycations Costa Rica  offers a ton of resources and their interactive Gay Map is awesome!  Just click on the symbol in the area and info pops up about the hotel or nightclub or what makes that particular place gay friendly.

Tico Times is Costa Rica’s number one publisher of news in English. Their Gay & Lesbian travel page is a bit outdated, but is still a wealth of resources and links you may find helpful.  The election has finally concluded, however we think it is important that you check out some of the articles published prior to April 1st’s election.

Costa Rican elections combine close polls, vastly different positions

We like this article for highlighting the very different views currently shaping the political landscape.

Costa Rica’s reaction to the court ruling affirming same-sex marriage rights:

We need to take a second look at our assumptions about gay-marriage  

Be sure to have a look at the caption in the photo: In 2017, almost 60% of Costa Ricans who were polled, were against gay marriage. This doesn’t mean they are anti-gay. They just don’t support it. Not the same thing in their minds.

Which brings us to this good video/advice from a gay blogger back in 2011.  

Main takeaways (keeping in mind that video was created 7 years ago): Costa Rica is a very traditional country, very Catholic. Don’t ask, don’t tell, and don’t “act”. Costa Ricans are very nice and non-judgmental in general.. What they don’t like is the “act” part… they feel that public displays of affection, for example, are “forcing” your views on them. That’s the rub. Anti-gay is not the vocal majority, but TRADITION still is the vocal majority.

Here is the website for the blogger mentioned above.

This article from Lonely Planet seems to echo the advice of the blogger

So, we hope you find some of these LGBT travel resources helpful when planning your Costa Rica vacation. We are here to help answer any questions you have, and we invite you to share your experiences with us as well.  

We welcome you to get to know our beautiful country and the beautiful hearts of the people that live here.  We are excited to move forward into the future and cannot wait to share our home with ALL of you.

Pura Vida!

Editors Note: We originally wanted to publish a LGBTQ resource guide a few months ago, but with opposition to legalizing gay-marriage, we were afraid it might be over shadowed with all the negative rhetoric. Thankfully, I feel I can say with confidence that the majority of Ticos will welcome EVERYONE with open-hearts and open minds.